US2907855A - Electric line switch - Google Patents

Description

Oct. 6, 1959- 'L. w. HEDGES ELECTRIC LINE SWITCH Filed Nov. 7, 1955 Leonard W. Hedges INVENTOR.

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United States Patent ELECTRIC LINE SWITCH Leonard W. Hedges, Napa, Calif., assignor of twentyfive percent to Evelyn Jewell, Napa, Cali.

Application November 7, 1955, Serial No. 545,147

2 Claims. (Cl. 200-168) This invention relates to an improved electrical adapter and particularly to a remotely controlled line switch arrangement.

Although there are many appliances and appliance combinations as well as lamps and instruments which may be controlled by the herein described assembly, one of the more diflicult and exasperating problems in home movie projection is intended to be overcome by utilizing this assembly. Almost invariably it happens that a person operating a home movie projector has someone turning the light on and off and in doing so there is usually stumbling in the dark over furniture or other objects. Accordingly, an object of this invention is to provide an electrical line cord assembly wherein there is a plug having combined with it a receptacle adapted to receive the plug of a lamp or other light source, together with a control box which has a switch in it, this control box being operatively connected with the plug by electrical conductors and arranged to control the energization of the receptacle in the plug by a switch that is carried by the control box.

A further object of the invention is to provide an assembly as described above which has an auxiliary electrical outlet in the control box, this outlet being wired by the electrical conductors which pass from the combined plug and receptacle to the control box. In this way the movie projector operator may carry the control box with him to the site of the projector and operate the switch so as to control the energization of the lamp as he sees fit.

Another object of this invention is to provide a control box especially, but not exclusively useful as described above, this control box having improved means of mounting a switch or receptacle whereby no fasteners of any kind are directly connected to the switch or receptacle, the holding action for the switch and/ or receptacle taking place entirely by a cover plate which contacts one surface of the switch and/or receptacle, the latter being seated in a pocket formed in the control box.

These together with other objects and advantages which will become subsequently apparent reside in the details of construction and operation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawing forming a part hereof, wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout, and in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of an embodiment of the invention;

Figure 2 is a transverse sectional view of the control box with a switch being shown in elevation;

Figure 3 is a side view of the combined plug and receptacle constituting a part of the invention;

Figure 4 is a bottom view of the plug of Figure 3, the wiring for the plug contacts being shown in place; and

Figure 5 is a schematic wiring diagram of the assembly.

The assembly consists of a line cord 12 having at one end a control box 14 and at the other end a combined plug and receptacle 16. Control box 14 comprises a casing having front wall 17, rear wall 18, side walls 19 and 20, together with a bottom 21. The top of the casing is open and a cover plate 22 is secured thereover by screws 24 and 25 which are accepted by tapped openings in the walls 19 and 20. The line 12 is passed through an opening in one of the walls of the casing and is wired to the switch 28 and receptacle 30. The switch 28 and receptacle 30 are mounted in the same way in the control box. They are so arranged that they need no fasteners connected directly to them. For example, the switch 28 is disposed in a pocket 34 formed at the top of a support 36 which rises from the bottom 21 of the casing. Pocket 34 is so dimensioned that it retains snugly the switch 28. The upper part of the switch 28 is held in place by the cover 22 by fitting in a recess 40 in the lower surface of cover plate 22. An aperture 42 in the center of this recess 40 forms a passage through which the switch operator is passed. Therefore, in assembly the switch 28 is rested in its pocket 34 and the receptacle 30 is similarly arranged in a pocket in the casing. Then cover 22 is fastened to the casing with the upper part of receptacle 30 passing through an aperture in the cover and the switch operator passing through aperture 42.

The combined plug and receptacle 16 comprises a body 50 having a line inlet sleeve 52 through which the bore 54 passes. This bore accommodates the line 12 so that the three conductors in it may attach respectively to the terminals 56, 58 and 60. Terminal 56 is a screw either retaining or helping to retain the contact plate 62 in place within a recess in the body 59. Prong 64 extends from one end of the plate 62, while the other end of the plate serves as a contact against which an appliance, lamp or other plug prong is adapted to be disposed when it is inserted in slot 66. Slot 68 which, with slot 66 forms the pair of slots for the receptacle portion of the combined receptacle and plug 16, has contact plate 70 in registry with it, the latter being held in place by means of the terminal 58 which in this instance, is a screw. The terminal 60 is also a screw holding conductive plate 72 in place within the body 50, there being prong 74 integrally fixed with it and coacting with prong 64 in order to be inserted in a standard wall outlet.

The line 12 which interconnects control box 14 and combined outlet and receptacle 16, has three conductors 80, 82 and 84 in it. The conductor extends from plate 62 which has prong 64 and which has provision for being connected with an external plug. The conductor 80 extends to one side of the receptacle 30 as well as to one side of the receptacle in the combined receptacle and plug 16. The second conductor 82 extends from the terminal 60, the latter being connected for electrical conduction with the prong 74. Conductor 82 is secured to one terminal of the switch 28. Finally, conductor 84 is secured to terminal 58 that is connected with contact plate 70 in alignment with slot 68. Conductor 84 extends from the terminal 58 to the opposite sides respectively of the switch 28 and the receptacle 30.

In use, the prongs 64 and 74 are inserted in a receptacle which serves as the source of electrical energy. A lamp or other device such as an appliance of one type or another is plugged into the slots 66 and 68. Then, the receptacle 30 may be used, but this is independent of the operation of the remainder of the assembly. By closing the switch 28 the appliance which is plugged in slots 66 and 68 is energized. By opening the switch 28 the circuit including that appliance, lamp or other device is opened. Meanwhile the receptacle 30 continues to conduct.

The foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention. Further, since numerous a modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention electrically operative device, a control box including a casing, a switch having a body mounted in said casing, a support in said casing and having an upwardly opening pocket therein, said, switch body being disposed in said pocket, a switch plate secured to said casing and abutting said body to hold said switch in said pocket without having fasteners connected directly to said 15 switch.

2. The remote control line assembly for an external electrically operated device of claim 1 wherein there is a receptacle having a receptacle body located adjacent to said switch body and disposed in said pocket, said switch plate having an opening for access to said receptacle, and said switch plate abutting said receptacle body to hold said receptacle in said pocket.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS V Nicholas Feb. 28, 1939

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